Road: Stannard wins IG Markets London Nocturne

Sky Pro Cycling ace Ian Stannard took a deserved victory in the IG Markets London Nocturne staged around Smithfields Market on Saturday evening.

The 25-year-old Buckinghamshire-based rider looked strong throughout the race, which attracted thousands of spectators to the area.

He was on the front for long periods, and deserved his victory at the end of a thrilling event, while Kristian House (Rapha Condor Sharp) was second and UK Youth rider Niklas Gustavsson third.

Now in its sixth year in the capital, the event celebrated another record breaking year with an estimated crowd of over 12,000 packed around Smithfield Market to witness an evening of extraordinary entertainment including a GB vs. Australia Team Pursuit head to head just weeks from the London 2012 Olympic Games.

This year’s men’s race featured ten pro teams with riders from Team Sky and Orica-GreenEdge lining up alongside the leading British squads. Fresh from the Giro d’Italia, Stannard - who also won the Elite Elimination Race today, and Matt Goss (Aus) were more than ready to take on the twists and turns of the Nocturne circuit. Olympic gold medallist Brett Lancaster (Aus) was also at the forefront of this year’s glittering elite field which reinforced the IG London Nocturne's reputation as the premier Elite Criterium in the UK.

Ian Stannard commented after the race, “It’s been a fantastic night and it was a great race. The crowd was phenomenal – so many people coming out to watch a street bike race in Britain. With the Olympics just around the corner it really doesn’t get any better!”

The Rapha Women’s Elite Criterium, which was reinstated this year due to unprecedented demand from the elite cycling community, was won, for the fourth time, by Hannah Barnes (Team-Ibis-Cycles). The elite field was headed up by Paralympic Champion Sarah Storey (Escentual For VioRed), who finished in 10th place. Hannah Welter (Netherlands) came in second place and Belinda Goss (Escentual For VioRed) finished in third.

Hannah Barnes commented after the race, “I love the London Nocturne because of the course and the crowd support – the atmosphere is electric. It was great to race it and win it for the fourth time and I hope to be back again next year.”

The IG London Nocturne has re-invented inner City racing and created an exciting new race format that blends entertainment and performance sport. Since its inception in 2007, it has grown to become one of the coolest mini cycling festivals in the UK, attended by the likes of Sir Paul Smith and held under the cover of darkness in one of the world’s most iconic city locations.

In the buildup to the elite races, the Nocturne hosts events covering the full spectrum of cycling including the Brooks Penny Farthing race, the cult Tern Folding Bike Race and the Fixed Gear Schwalbe Longest Skid Competition. It’s always completely free to attend and the event has been attended by around 60,000 people in the past six years.

IG London Nocturne organiser James Pope said; "The capital is set for an exciting summer of sport culminating in the Olympics and we were delighted to kick it off with the IG London Nocturne.

It has been another nail-biting night of racing and we would like to thank all the riders, sponsors and crew that made it happen. If you didn’t manage to get down to Smithfield Market tonight you can catch the highlights on Channel 4 on 16th June at 7.00 and online on 4OD.”

British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.